Northeast Times

Confuscious says:
Happy New Year!

Kids Stuff
By William Feldman

Welcome to Kids Stuff. Today’s column includes a look at the largest celebration of Chinese culture in the world, the Chinese New Year Spectacular, which came to Philadelphia at the Merriam Theater last month with the help of New Tang Dynasty TV’s and The Greater Philadelphia Asian Culture Center.
Before describing the event, I thought it would be educational to research on the Internet the origin of the Chinese New Year (CNY). However, I learned important facts from my research and speaking with many individuals celebrating the CNY: Traditions vary depending on what country you are from and what community you are presently living in. For example, Cantonese, Mandarin, Mainland or U.S.
CNY is the longest and most important celebration in the Chinese calendar. The Chinese year 4706 begins on Feb. 7. CNY is also known as the Lunar New Year Festival because it is based on the lunar calendar as opposed to the Gregorian calendar.
New Year activities traditionally start on the first day of the month and continue until the 15th, when the moon is brightest. In China, people may take weeks of holiday from work to prepare for and celebrate the New Year, which is a very jubilant occasion.
The key portion of the CNY lasts only five days, including New Year’s Eve, but the New Year season is 15 days; however, various celebrations can make it seem like one month long. People start to prepare themselves for the five-day celebration a month in advance. At the end of the five-day celebration, the people start again to prepare for the lantern festival, which takes place about 10 days later, with the first full moon of the New Year. This lasts three days.
During the last three days of the 15 days, decorated lanterns are hung, the people wear white in honor of the moon and moon cakes are eaten.
The origins of the CNY celebration is too old to trace the exact roots, but it was conceived out of fear and myth. Legend spoke of a wild beast who appeared at the end of each year, attacking the people. To scare the beast away, loud noises and bright red lights were used. The beast lived in fear of the color red. The Chinese New Year celebration was born.
The five-day celebration is the most important part of the Chinese celebration. The people do no cooking except reheating, and shops are closed. During the month before the celebration takes place, chicken, fish and pork are dried, eggs are preserved, and vegetables are pickled.
According to information on the Internet, on the first day of the five-day celebration, the day of New Year’s Eve, the people visit family and friends and bid farewell to the old year. Between 9 and 11 p.m., incense is lit and placed on a table that has been arranged to meet the spirits who will descend to earth. After 11 o’clock, offerings are made to the gods, and the gods are asked to bring peace and prosperity.
The people then have a great feast as the festivities of the New Year sound on the streets throughout the night. On New Year’s Day the people dress in new clothes and spend the day with their families. They exchange gifts. Some of these gifts could be money wrapped in red and gold paper. This money is to be spent throughout the holiday. Food is kept warm all day for visiting family. The tradition is to eat dumpling soup; whoever bites into the dumpling with the surprise in it is supposed to have good luck throughout the year.
The second day of the new year is for visiting family. Money trees are put out as a sign of prosperity. The third day of the festival is marked with firecrackers and the Dragon Dance. This is also the day for the beginning of the Lion Dance, which lasts through the fifth day. The fourth day is a day for people, even strangers, to drop in and visit wherever they like. The fifth day of the new year is for visiting family who are far away, a day of travel and reunion. On this day, all of the shops reopen and the people can cook again.
This year is the Year of the Rat. The animals got named in legend in ancient times, as Buddha asked all the animals to meet him on Chinese New Year. Twelve came, and Buddha named a year after each one. He announced that the people born in each animal’s year would have some of that animal’s personality. Those born in rat years tend to be leaders, pioneers and conquerors. They are charming, passionate, charismatic, practical and hard-working.
According to sources, established in June 2002, the Greater Philadelphia Asian Culture Center (GPACC) is a non-profit, educational organization dedicated to sharing the beauty of traditional Asian culture with communities throughout the Greater Philadelphia region.
Their mission is preserving and promoting traditional Asian cultures, encouraging cultural exchange, embracing diversity, and enhancing the health and well-being of people in the community as well as mutual understanding between East and West.
The center also serves as a link between Asian-American and mainstream American communities by hosting and supporting events including cultural, educational, mass media, social services and other activities to achieve its objectives.
New Tang Dynasty TV (NTDTV) is an independent, non-profit Chinese language TV broadcaster which also features programming in the English language. NTDTV began broadcasting via satellite in North America in February 2002.
The Chinese New Year Spectacular will have toured more than 50 international cities. It gives the audience a chance to experience China’s 5,000 years of history and traditions. There were more than 100 bright vivid-colored costumed dancers who enacted traditional Chinese myths and legends to ring in the Year of the Rat.
This production had performances by Tenor Guimin Guan, often described as the Pavarotti of China, and Erhuist Xiaochun Qi, who plays the traditional Chinese string instrument to symphony audiences in Geneva, Boston, New York, Houston and Toronto.
Also performing were Rutang Chen, a cellist for China’s Central Philharmonic Society Orchestra for more than three decades; his wife Ningfang, a flutist; his son Gang, a bassoonist; and his daughter Ying, who works behind the scenes as stage manager.
The event was truly unique. They had two hosts, one translating in English, the other in Chinese. The background visuals for all performances were enhanced by this humongous digital 3-D projection screen that was themed to the performance.
I heard that the costumes represent the various traditional Chinese clothing over its 5,000-year history and they were handmade by dedicated artists in New York, specifically for this tour. You will even walk away learning about two traditional Chinese instruments: the erhu, which is a two-stringed violin, and a tanggu, which is a drum.
The first performance, Descent of the Celestial Kings, consisted of 28 dancers. The second performance, Sorrow Melts Away, song by Min Jiang, soprano, was about Divinity and Diversity. Third, Snow Mountain, White Lotus, was performed with 15 fan dancers. Another powerful scene The Risen Lotus Flower, where three women were jailed for their beliefs.
I can’t forget to mention the Drummers of the Tang Court, which consisted of 15 fabulous musicians who drummed while marching and dancing in uniform, and the Mongolian Bowl Dance, which was unbelievable as they gracefully balanced bowls on their heard while walking and dancing. Also, the hosts taught the audience that to toast in Chinese means Gan Bei.
Part II consisted of a performance to welcome spring: the Forsythia flower- ying chun hua. Also, they had other performances: Bai Xue, soprano being accompanied by a piano; A Vanished Dream about a confusion scholar; and Ladies of the Manchu Court, an imperial dance where the women danced with their raised shoes. Contrary to belief, they did not bind their feet, so they were able to wear these shoes.
The Manchu group governed China for almost 300 years during the Qing dynasty; Redemptive Suffering performed with a Chinese Visir, violin; The Power Awareness, which stressed truthfulness, compassion and tolerance, and there were a few more.
I truly recommend this cultural and educational experience for all ages.
For more information, go to www.bestchineseshows.com